Comfort
by Alice745458
Summary: Tsubasa and Hyoma are now sharing a house. When Tsubasa comes home with some unexpected visitors from his past, will it change their relationship? Slash, some language. I do not own anything you recognize. Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Hyoma watched as Tsubasa sulked down the hall, Earth Eagle in his hand. Since Gingka had defeated Ryuuga, the two boys had shared a house together. The first thing Tsubasa had done was spend half of a day on the phone and write letters to people. He never told Hyoma who he'd needed to talk to all of a sudden.

Even though the younger boy was a comforting presence, Hyoma also noticed how strange he was compared to others. Unlike boys his age, he didn't wake up after noon and stay up late. He didn't spend his time at the pool and lake or flirt with girls. The oddest thing, however, was that he never talked about any family.

It hadn't really come up when they were beyblading, afterwards they'd all gotten together and parents had come up. Hyoma himself had told about his mother dying in an accident and his father being very busy, so he never had to worry about people missing him when he was gone. He'd also told the gang that he was gay. Kyouya was kind of freaked because Hyoma had been a close friend of his; no one had really been worried about it.

The older male continued to consider his friends odd silence on the subject as Tsubasa slid out the door.

When it came to not flirting with girls, Hyoma had often wondered if Tsubasa was like him, however he couldn't really see him hiding in the closet. And as for family, there were lots of reasons for people not to talk about family, who knew what the boy had left behind.

When Tsubasa came back, he had two girls and a young boy, all of which were obviously related to him, with him.

The first girl looked to be about seventeen, actually a young woman who was very short, with a curvy body and the same white-blonde hair.

The other girl was the exact same height as Tsubasa with his eyes. However, instead of the other two's light, light hair, she had shiny, blue-black tresses reaching past her knees, pinned back away from her soft face. Even if he wasn't into them, he could still recognize a beautiful girl. The first was the more ideal idea of beauty but the second had the type you couldn't see unless you had only seen her once in your life. A shock at first, before turning into the norm for a person.

The older girl looked around the room with interest before seeing Hyoma. At the sight of him, she smiled flirtingly and winked. It was kind of creepy in his opinion. Tsubasa moved to stop her but the dark haired beauty set down the little boy on her hip and grabbed her sister's arm

"Really? Damn it, Valerie you're in a stranger's house, in front of your little boy and brother. Get some self respect." She said with disgust before turning to Tsubasa.

"I'm so sorry for this 'Basa, I didn't know where else to go." He nodded stiffly before turning to the older boy.

"Hyoma, this is Valerie, the slut of the family, and her son, Trai" he said in a soft, dangerous tone.

"And this is Alicreia, the only one with a brain."

"'Basa, I" he cut her off before she could finish.

"It's okay, Ria, I don't blame you. Why don't you go get yours and Trai's bags?" she nodded.  
>"Should I get Valerie's as well?"<p>

"No she can get it herself." Alicreia nodded and slid out the front door with the same grace Tsubasa had always possessed. The second she was out the door Tsubasa pulled his wallet out. Hyoma was surprised when he pressed a hundred into her hand and gave her directions to the back door.

"Get your stuff and leave before she realizes what's happening." Valerie nodded, gave her son a hug, and walked past Hyoma, out of the room. Trai didn't even make a noise. The older boy figured he was pretty used to his mother leaving. Valerie seemed like that type.

Alicreia came back inside with two medium sized bags and one fairly small one. She looked around with sharp eyes and Moved to speak, but Tsubasa cut her off.

"Is the small one Trai's?" 'Ria looked down at the bags sitting at her feet and blushed.

"Oh, no that one's mine, there really wasn't that much to take. The little one's kind of raided my room." Tsubasa chuckled and grinned at her, surprising Hyoma, since he rarely gave a real smile.

"Of course you would let them play pick and choose with your stuff." He said with a teasing roll of the eyes. Hyoma smiled at their little sibling banter as Tsubasa's eyes became concerned and he eyed her tiny, bony frame.

"Are you hungry" he asked.

"Oh," it made Hyoma sad to see how she seemed genuinely surprised that someone was worrying about **her**, "yea, a little I guess." Tsubasa nodded and turned to walk past Hyoma, begging the older one with his eyes to let the two stay. The taller male gave the smallest of nods and Tsubasa's face lit up as he slid past to lead the way to the kitchen.

"Leave your bags there." Hyoma instructed as he picked up Trai and turned to follow the blonde, we'll find you rooms after you've had dinner."

The house Tsubasa and Hyoma shared wasn't very big. There was a downstairs made of the little entrance room, a bathroom, kitchen and the living room. Then the upper level consisted of another bathroom, two small bedrooms and a tiny guest room. He guessed she must have lived a rather unfortunate life, because she stared as if it were the ocean. Something awe striking and amazing.

Apparently she realized she looked like a country girl in a big city for the first time, because she quickly schooled her features into one of polite interest. It disappeared when they reached the kitchen though. Tsubasa opened the fridge and she stared, obviously shocked by what she saw. "Oh" was all she managed to get out.

"Hhmm?" Tsubasa asked, not even looking up. She just stared. The young boy stood, saw his sister staring like that and something seemed to crack.

"Was it really that bad" he asked and Hyoma was surprised when his voice cracked.

"What, oh 'Basa no, don't…" 'Ria's statement died on her lips as Tsubasa turned and fled out the door. She turned to Hyoma, obviously confused. He took over Tsubasa's position at the fridge and told her he was just worried.

He could see how it would get to the younger boy, hearing his sister say that. After all, their fridge was more than half empty because it was the end of the month and they'd passed on their plans to go to the store yesterday. He found the stuff to scrap together a dish of pasta, vegetables and some chopped up chicken. Preparing the meal, he smiled at the way she sat at the bar and watched with sharp, serious eyes, obviously memorizing the steps to make it.

They ate with no trouble, talking quietly, watching for Tsubasa. He asked her about him and she told funny stories about when he would play imagine with her. Apparently they had never called it pretend because whenever she was bored, her father would tell her to imagine something. He found that she was a mix between a happier Tsubasa, calmer Gingka and a girly Kyouya. It's an odd combination, but it worked, and they got along well.

Trai had long since been fed and put to bed, brown hair sticking up oddly and small face stretching into a yawn, by the time Tsubasa comes back in. Stepping into the kitchen, he looked at the washed plates and recently cleaned table, peeked into the living room and found the two sitting on the couch, Hyoma restlessly flipping through channels, 'Ria reading a book.

"'Licrie, time for bed." As the girl whined a little, Hyoma wondered just how many nick names the young girl had.

"Bed, now" Tsubasa said, ending the conversation. She made a face, put back the book and asked where to go. He gave directions to his room and listened closely as she slipped up the stairs. Once he was convinced she was going to stay in bed, Tsubasa sat down heavily.

Hyoma wonders if he's going to cry as he gently takes the remote, turns off the television, and turns to him.

"I have seven siblings, three nieces and a nephew. Valerie and Taitereu are older than me at seventeen and twenty-one. Taitereu has triplet daughters that were born before I left. Obviously you've met Trai. 'Ria is fourteen. She's the only sensible one in our family. She didn't get in much trouble.

"The older triplets are usually called 'the little ones'. They should be ten now. Six when I left. Baby Kairu is only five now. Huh, guess that's not really a baby. Mom left a week after Kairu was born. Left Dad with eight kids, two jobs and a house they could barely afford anyway. Then I left too."

Hyoma tried to stop him, tell him it wasn't his fault, tell him anything, but Tsubasa cut him off with a look of self-hatred.

"We were so poor, Hyoma. I had this crazy idea that I'd win a contest or something and use the money to find us a good home. But really I was just selfish. I didn't want to stay there anymore.

"While I was gone, just in those first two years, Dad died of an infection, Valerie got pregnant and baby Kairu got sick. He almost died Hyoma. After Dad died, Valerie started working the streets, which is how she got pregnant, and 'Ria dropped out of middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL! Took on three dead end jobs, living on as little as three hours of sleep on some days, and try to pay the bills. She **stole **from people, the only one of us to ever have an honest life, started stealing. Broke into people's houses, took wallets, anything."

The older boy stared as the blonde fell apart. No tears slid down his face, but they swam in his eyes and his shoulders shook with silent sobs.

"You can tell me it's not my fault," he said, voice cracking, "but it is. I should have stayed, or at least come back. I should have been there to help." Hyoma had never seen Tsubasa like this, so he wasn't really sure what to do but he tried to treat him like anyone else, sitting cross-legged on the couch and pulling him into his lap. He expected the younger boy to pull away and throw mean insults, call him a fag and disappear. But, instead, the blonde wrapped his arms around Hyoma's waist and pressed his face into his shoulder.

Hyoma carefully pressed his face into Tsubasa's hair, whispering comforting words into the almost silence. After a long time, the boy quieted against his chest, sniffling once before pulling himself together.

"I'm sorry. That was probably awkward, huh?" Hyoma smiled at him gently. He'd had a crush on the boy for a long time and there was something both comforting and heartbreaking at finding something about him that made him even the slightest bit weak.

"It's okay, but if you don't mind, what happened?" he asked. Tsubasa studied him for a long time, muttered something along the lines of _I'm going to regret this in the morning, _and crawled back into his lap. Hyoma was surprised, but he didn't object, wrapping his arms around Tsubasa's slim waist (in what he told himself was a comforting manner) and listening intently.

"Child services came, found one adult, my brother, housing ten kids, two of which had dropped out of school, in a house made for two or three. The reason 'Ria has so little stuff is because the little ones all took little something's to take with them. The organization found a long-lost aunt of ours that took the triplets. My brother got his little girls back. By that time Valerie was emancipated, so she took 'Ria and Trai. Alicreia had the good sense to find me."

They sat in silence for a while and soon Tsubasa had fallen asleep. Against what was probably his better judgment, Hyoma scooped him up in his arms and carried him to the older boy's room. Laying him down on the bed, Hyoma found a brush, unclasped Tsubasa's hair, gently untangled the knots and carefully braided the blonde tresses, a trick he'd picked up from back when he was the only kid old enough to babysit in their village.

He was about to leave for an uncomfortable night on the couch when Tsubasa woke up and grabbed his wrist. A voice in his head told him to wrap the blankets tighter around the boy and leave, but when the blonde shot him a sleepy grin and asked him to stay, his willpower broke like glass. Trying to scowl, he gently pushed the boy over and climbed under the covers beside him. With his arm around his narrow, girly waist, pulling Tsubasa against his chest, and the boy's hair in a long braid, he could almost pretend that he was normal, and he had a girl in his bed. He chuckled darkly at the thought and tugged the blonde tighter against him. Drifting off to sleep, he found that if that was normal, he'd rather be a queer.

**Author's Note: Okay before I get any flames, I have nothing against gay people. Actually, a good few of my friends are either bi or gay. The words I used, if you found any offensive, simply fit and I found accurate, if you have a problem with that I'm sorry but it's your problem. Anywaysssss, I know I've disappeared for a while, even though this is my first fic on this fandom. Anyway, if any of you recognize me from HP, I'm really sorry I haven't updated, but I'm working on it! **

**X's and O's for everybody!**!


	2. Chapter 2

In the morning, Tsubasa woke up and slowly remembered the night before. He considered this for a while before noticing the arm around his waist. At one time, he would have pulled away, screamed insults and rude comments, before dropping_ you fag _card. At one time, though, he hadn't lived with Hyoma, and he hadn't understood himself quite as well.

Smiling, he slid out of Hyoma's arms and the bed. Walking down the hall, he found Trai in the guest room.

"Hey buddy, you hungry?" The little boy nodded. Tsubasa picked him up and took him downstairs and made him some oatmeal, the same stuff Lena had always loved when he was home. Pleased to find that his hunch was right, he turned on cartoons and slid up the stairs again. This time, he walked to his own room to see if his sister was still asleep.

She was awake, sitting at his desk looking over some pictures that had been framed or simply taped on the wall. She gripped one tightly in her hand.

As he got closer, Tsubasa saw that it wasn't one of his. The piece of paper showed her at a parade. Their brother had an arm around her shoulder, his other hand holding a secure grip on his children. Baby Kairu was on her back, peaking shyly over her shoulder, and the triplets were standing in front of her.

Tsubasa smiled at his three younger siblings. Two boys on either side of a young girl. The boys, Jesse and Rei, looked like Tsubasa and their father, but the girl, Lena, looked almost exactly like 'Ria at that age, just like their mother.

Then there was 'Ria herself. In the picture, with a pretty, form fitting dress, she was even skinnier than she looked in her sleep shirt and shorts. Her hair was choppily cut and tangled, falling in her eyes instead of pinned neatly against her head. Valerie and Trai were no where to be found and the kids looked like they were ready to cry, yet they all looked excited, and 'Ria, with pretty colors swirling in the background and the picture taken slightly crooked, looked happy, beautiful even, with her eyes sparkling mischievously.

A tear fell on the bit of paper and she hurried to wipe it away.

"You alright?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I was just thinking about them, I miss 'em, you know." Tsubasa smiled.

"Yeah, I know, I miss them too" She grinned up at him.

"Is Trai already up?" He nodded. "I'll go watch him if you want to take a shower." He nodded again, but stopped her from leaving the room.

"You know I'm proud of you, right? You were very brave about everything that happened."

She nodded with that same mischievous eyes and little grin as the ones in the photo before walking out of the room.

Tsubasa grabbed a towel and comb before stepping into the bathroom. Cranking the water up to a ridiculous temperature, he unbraided his carefully plaited hair before undressing and stepping under the stream.

He tried not to think very hard about last night. If he did things became confusing. He'd rather just leave it as a happy memory and keep moving.

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself and moved to brush his teeth. He had just rinsed the soap off after washing his face when the door opened. Hyoma stared, blushing for a second, before slamming the door closed.

Tsubasa chuckled. There was only one reason Hyoma would be up before breakfast was made. He must really have to pee.

He left the bathroom to go get dressed. Once he waas safely in real clothes, he went to the kitchen and began a pot of coffee.

"Hyoma!" he called once the eggs were made "Breakfast!"

The older boy came thundering down the stairs. He picked up Trai on his way through the living room and dragged Alicreia with him.

Once they were all sitting and eating he decided to broach the subject.

"Hey, 'Ria, how many pairs of clothes do you have?"

She glanced down at her pajamas and up at Tsubasa with annoyance.

"Enough" he simply raised an eyebrow and waited for her to break. She had obviously built up willpower since he left, because when they were younger it took only a manner of seconds, but she lasted five minutes before saying anything.

"It's okay, 'Basa. I'll get a job and-"

"Oh, no you won't" he stopped her, "You're going back to school." She froze. It had been almost three years since she'd gone to school.

"Oh, please no Tsubasa! I'll be dumber then everyone else, I'll never catch up" she pleaded.

"Nonsense, a couple of years out of school doesn't make you dumb. You'll just have to work a little harder. I'll just get you a tutor."

"Oh, no you wont!" Hyoma almost laughed at how much she sounded like her older brother. "I didn't come here to have you waste your money on me"

"Well, too bad, I'm going to anyway!"

Alicreia stood, stomped up the stairs and came down a couple minutes later in her regular clothes. The front door slammed shut and Tsubasa groaned, letting his head hit the table.

"I'm not letting this go" he told Hyoma, making the older boy chuckle.

"Of course you aren't" Tsubasa groaned again, not picking his head up.

By the time Alicreia came back it was eleven at night. Hyoma had convinced Tsubasa to get some sleep, so only the older boy was up.

She took one look at him, waiting patiently on the couch, and groaned, much like her brother.

"Not you too!" He smiled and gestured for her to sit down.

There was silence for a while as Hyoma went to the kitchen and grabbed something for her to eat.

"Did you know your brother bakes? Especially when he's worried" she looked surprised and mildly amused.

"Really?"

"Yep, the kitchens full of them right now" he told her, holding out a plate of the offending treats. She took one and bit into it carefully while he set them on the coffee table and sat beside her. She smiled, apparently pleased with the taste, and took another bite. Hyoma wondered about the last time she had a home-baked cookie. He didn't have the guts to ask.

"You know he just wants what's best for you" she sighed and her brow furrowed, as if the idea of someone caring worried her.

"I know, but nothing's been about me for a long time, I still don't know how to deal with it. And I don't want him to think that just because he's older then me that he can tell me what to do. I've taken care of a family too, you know?" he grinned.

"Of course, but I do hope you will try. Why not go to the community center. They have a program for kids who have to drop out of school. And I wish you would let him buy you some clothes." she nodded, but it was obvious she still didn't understand why anyone cared. He didn't say anything, though he wondered if he should, because he thought Tsubasa would want to be the one to tell her the truth about just how much value she had in his eyes.

"Your brother fell asleep in my room again. Go on to his room and we can all talk in the morning."

She grinned and began to walk away, before pausing and turning back to him. It reminded him of yesterday, when he'd made dinner. She watched his every move with sharp, entrancing gold eyes. At moments like these, he was able to see just how much she had in common with Tsubasa.

"You really care about him, don't you?" it caught him off guard, but he slowly nodded under her scrutinizing stare. After a moment she walked back to the couch.

"You know, my brothers first kiss was from the boy who lived down the street from us. He wasn't very kind about it afterwards, but don't think just because he doesn't say anything that he doesn't have feelings for you. I won't guarantee it, but don't give up on him just yet." he was surprised. After all, she'd only been here one day and she'd already broken down their relationship enough to see just how things were headed, and whether there was even a chance.

He was even more surprised when she leaned forward and hugged him.

"Just don't give up on him. He needs you more than he lets on" and then she was bounding up the stairs, just as silent and graceful as her brother, leaving the older boy sitting there, shocked.

She went and signed up for the program the next day, but insisted on getting a job, and it was three weeks before she broke down and let Tsubasa buy her clothes.

Somehow, Hyoma had been dragged along on this mini adventure and quickly found that the two of them out in public together could be quite a problem.

First they got in a small fight about the type of clothes. He insisted that she needed at least one dress, if the need for one came up. She insisted that he was insane.

Then, after deciding that she would be okay with one dress, she had tried one on, she didn't like it but they insisted she show them. So she had come out in a short lavender dress with little ruffles at the bottom. They never would have bought it for her, but no one could deny she was beautiful.

A girl who had been trying on clothes with friends looked over and scoffed.

"Sweetie, the boy's section is over there. No use pretending your worth it.

Tears spiked in her eyes. The stranger had touched her one weak spot, not even knowing it. Tsubasa, however, laughed.

"Oh, yeah" he said to Hyoma in a too-loud voice "she's worth anything more than the tramp-stamp on her ass" 'Ria openly stared at her brother before a delicate giggle slid from her lips.

As the young girl continued to giggle, a boy came over and placed a possessive arm around the strangers waist.

"Is there a problem" he asked, surveying the situation with a look of concern. Hyoma didn't think before he answered.

"Yeah, the bitch that's currently clinging to your arm decided it would be fun to insult a young girl who wanted a dress. And by the way _honey_" his voice came out sickly sweet and mocking, "maybe you should try the boy's section. After all, those are _clearly _fake"

It was rare for him to so easily lose his temper, but 'Ria didn't need anyone telling her she was worthless. The boy stepped forward but was quite surprised when the two stood from where they had been lounging in chairs. They were both taller than him by a good couple inches.

"Oh, good, the fags are getting into it." the girl drawl. Hyoma saw red as he watched the way Tsubasa drew back, unsure and scared, suddenly hurt by this girl. However, he wasn't the one who stepped up. He wouldn't hit a girl, no matter what.

Instead, 'Ria lunged at her with a sob. She quickly tackled her to the ground and made contact with her face.

"Bitch" Alicreia screamed, catching the whole stores attention, "If you ever call him that again, I'll kill you!"

Tsubasa and Hyoma were caught too off guard to do anything, but the boyfriend stepped forward and gently lifted 'Ria off the ground.

"Stop, stop, it's not worth it" he said in a soft, persuasive voice. After a few moments she stopped struggling, sobbing into his chest. The stranger boy let her cry for a couple minutes, ignoring his girlfriend, now swallowed up by the crowd, in favor of the proud younger one in his arms.

Once she had calmed down, the boy caught the attention of two girls.

"Find her some clothes she'll actually be comfortable in and help her out will you? Sandra has made an impression." the two rolled their eyes, gave their agreement and each gently took one of 'Ria's arms.

Soon after they had enough clothes to get her through about two weeks, two dresses and some tennis shoes from across the street. And, of course, 'Ria had three new friends, all of which had handed her a number with the demand, _I'd better hear from you soon, _and the threat of _and don't you dare wear those crummy shoes, _from the girls.

Hyoma quickly figured out the relationship between the two siblings. Once they stopped worrying about each other, the tension quickly disappeared. He often wondered why they weren't born twins. They often had the same thought, made the same facial expressions at things they did or didn't like, and they both had that dry, sarcastic sense of humor that was hidden behind serious eyes and guarded words.

Between the two, there as always a tease going on. A gentle insult given with a mischievous twinkle of the eye. And there was a never ending supply of comebacks, a sly smile playing on their lips. It rarely went too far, but when it did there were tears on the offender's side, cries of _I'm so sorry_'s, _I didn't mean it_'s and _that was way out of line's._ It always ended with the insulted giving the other a hug and a simple _well duh I forgive you, I don't really have a choice._

Hyoma and Tsubasa continued to share a bed, if only because it was needed to make room for the two newcomers.

They didn't speak of the first night or what it meant, for which Hyoma was quite glad. He wasn't sure he was ready to think about if it meant anything. Still he couldn't help but think about what Alicreia said that night. _Just don't give up on him, he needs you more than he lets on. _It was especially hard to ignore when he woke up with his arm about Tsubasa's girly waist, or the younger boy was cuddled into his chest, a peaceful grin on his face.

Even though they didn't talk about it, neither of them acted as if anything had changed. There was no stuttering or avoiding each other, no awkward silence that needed filling, and there was rarely any blushing.

**Author's note; I still have nothing against gay people, and I apologize if I offended anybody. I'm not sure if this chapter was any good, so please tell me what you think. Hyoma/Tsubasa is pretty much set in stone, but please tell me who you want Ria to end up with. I don't really want it to be the guy at the store, though he might play an important roll.**

**Anyway, in the next chapter or the one after, Ria meets Gingka and the gang and Hyoma meets Tsubasa's family! I'm really excited. By the way, this one is really long, its 12 pages on Microsoft. That's huge for me.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Breakfast was usually the time for announcements because none of them were home for lunch unless it was Sunday and dinner was often skipped by at least one of them. Both of the Otori's had odd appetites, where one day they would eat twice as much as most and wake up the next morning and eat breakfast. Then the next day they won't eat anything, still waking up the next morning and having the same small breakfast they usually would._

_Because of this, it wasn't a surprise that she dropped the news at breakfast._

"_Miss, I mean Aunt Elaine wrote recently. She wants to come see us" Tsubasa looked up, eyebrow raised in an 'oh-really-now' _way. She nodded.

"Apparently she 'wants to get to know us better'" she rolled her eyes.

"Okay" Tsubasa smiled "And what's the real story" The mischievous grin was set in place when she looked up at them. The three had quickly come to understand that Elaine rarely told the truth. At times Hyoma wondered if she knew how.

"The little ones wrote as well. They miss us, she's a terrible parent, the food is expensive and disgusting, oh, and she doesn't listen" Hyoma grinned at how she ticked them off on her fingers, obviously taking the words straight from the letter she had gotten.

"So they're making her life hell" he guessed. 'Ria nodded as she finished feeding Trai.

"They'll be here in four days."

Four days later, a woman who was probably sixty-five showed up with three children crowding around her and another one on her hip. Hyoma called out to the other two and the wrestling and games in the living room stopped. They were walking towards the entrance as he opened the door to the family.

He'd seen the four children before in photos. Jesse and Rei, two mini Tsubasas with devilish smiles. Little Lena, a green-eyed 'Ria, and Kairu, a dark haired boy with the family eyes, a sparkling gold.

The woman was foreign to him, but the relation was obvious. She had the same dark hair, which was now graying slightly, along with the same tall, thin frame. However, instead of eagle-eyed gold or amethyst green, her eyes were a cold grey.

The moment she opened her mouth he knew something spiteful was coming. However, she didn't get the chance as Lena had been poking around Hyoma and now half screamed "'Basa!"

There was a laugh and the kids were flying past him. Little Kairu was squirming to get out of his aunts arms. Finally she let him down and he too went to greet his family.

Hyoma turned and watched as Tsubasa and Alicreia were both tackled by their four younger siblings. Looking over the sea of white-blonde and blue-black, he wondered where Trai got his simple, bland features. Miss Elaine sniffed.

"Children, that's no way to behave" 'Ria laughed, not realizing she was serious.

"They're children, this is the** only **way to behave." Miss Elaine raised an eyebrow, but 'Ria was already moving on.

"There's a bey competition today, Hyoma and Tsubasa are both participating. Do you guys want to go?"

There were cheers and clapping of hands and laughs as the children headed towards the door. Elaine sniffed again.

"Beyblading, barbaric thing if you ask me" Tsubasa and Hyoma tightened their grip on their beys and Alicreia's jaw tightened.

"We didn't" Elaine seemed surprised, and became even more so when Lena stepped forward.

"'Ria" she said in her soft voice. "This was in the box you let me take." She handed the older girl a bey, almost completely silver, with streaks of blue and purple whirling about the outer piece. However, Elaine was already on a different subject.

"You're the one that gave her that horrid box?" Alicreia tensed again.

"It was our mother's, I believe she deserves to have it." The trying woman opened her mouth to say something but 'Ria stopped her.

"You know what?" she said, trying to sound cheerful. "If we wait any longer we'll be late. So why don't we go ahead and Aunt Elaine can go shopping."

"Then they were sweeping out in waves, laughing as Tsubasa swiped Kairu, placing him on his shoulders.

When they left the competition both older boys had more points. Hyoma had placed second to Tsubasa, but he really didn't mind losing to the younger boy. After all, the battle had been fun and he'd actually had some challenges in there. Besides, what was more fun was seeing the children, 'Ria included, watch with starry eyes as they saw the battles up close.

"Well, how did you like the competition?" Tsubasa asked, earning several awestruck tones and Lena gushing about how amazing it all was. Then, he looked down towards Rei and Jesse, brow furrowing.

"Where did you guys get those, you didn't steal them, did you?" Hyoma and 'Ria both looked to find the two boys holding what looked to be gold coins.

"What? Oh, no, we helped a man catch his dog and he gave them to us" Rei said. "Promise." Tsubasa looked at 'Ria, who nodded and let it go.

"Well don't just hold them like that, put them in your pockets before someone **does **steal them."

Alicreia laughed. "How do you guys feel about ice cream?" the kids cheered, making Hyoma and Tsubasa laugh, before taking off down the street. Unlike most, who would yell for them not to go far, she followed, slipping through the crowd with no difficulty.

When Hyoma and Tsubasa found them at the ice cream shop, having walked at a much slower pace, they were all entranced by a girl dancing about the streets. She spun around in an intricate dance. A woman glanced at 'Ria.

"You look like you could have come from the town she learned it at. Do you know it?" 'Ria nodded.

"It's been years though, I'm not sure I could do it." The woman was looking her over again, scrutinizing the way she watched the dancer.

"I bet you can" The younger girl considered the woman for a while before shrugging. Then she surprised them all by stepping into the street. She picked up perfectly, matching the steps as if she had been there the whole time. The same grace that allowed her to fly up stairs silently and move through crowds with ease now allowed her to spin and twist over the uneven cracks of the street with little difficulty.

Hyoma, wondered, not for the first time, what was going on in her head. He chuckled dryly at the thought, realizing she had him just as baffled as her brother did.

The dance ended and people applauded the two girls, but they were turning to each other, recognition mingling with confusion as they took in the other's appearance.

"Crissy?" the dark haired girl said. The blonde looked just as confused at seeing her.

"Alicreia, what are you doing here?" 'Ria had the good sense to bring the other out of the street as she explained, "My brother lives here. You're traveling?"

"Oh, yeah, I move around with a bunch of other performers. We're going to Paris soon." Any one could see the awe on 'Ria's face.

"Really, that's amazing, Carissa! So, tell me, how are you doing? Do you still have a crush on that idiotic boy, Ryuuga?" Carissa blushed.

"First off, he wasn't and still isn't an idiot. Second, no I don't like him any more." Tsubasa chuckled at how his sister acted, obviously getting more impatient by the moment.

"Well? Who do you like?" She just rolled her eyes and changed the subject.

"Hey Lena, Tsubasa, haven't seen you in a while." Then she looked to Hyoma and back to Alicreia. "And who is this?" 'Ria laughed.

"That's Hyoma, and not only is he totally off limits to you, he's gay." Carissa made a face.

"They're always gay."

"Or insane."

"He isn't insane." 'Ria rolled her eyes.

"Okay, would you prefer stupid, crazy, or demented." Carissa glared but 'Ria laughed, just as laid back as ever. Her face was joyful as she swept Kairu up in her arms.

"Alright, sorry, that was uncalled for. Would you like to have some ice cream with us?" Carissa agreed and they all walked into the local restaurant together.

The ice cream shop was located in the heart of the city. The man that owned it also sold sandwiches, soup, salad and other basic dinner and lunch things. There was always something happening in this part of the city, so Hyoma had never seen the place not busy. It was part of the appeal, in his opinion. One of the few things the three of them could all agree on.

Sitting down with their big family, he remembered the first time Tsubasa had come here with him. The younger boy had been so happy to get out of the house after a week of people fussing over him. Hyoma had dragged him to the shop after three hours of blading, at which point the older boy learned the extent of Tsubasa's appetite. Half a year later, they brought 'Ria to the same place, where they found out that she liked chocolate milkshakes and hated brownies, but loved the two together.

Carissa surveyed all the people from her seat, Kairu laughed at his two brothers, tossing chocolates up in the air and trying to catch them in their mouths.

After about fifteen of them ended up on the floor, 'Ria grabbed one of the small treats, tossed it high in the air, and leaned back, the chocolate falling neatly into her open mouth.

Bringing her face back down to look at the two boys, she smirked and went back to her custom milkshake. Rei and Jesse glowered, put out by her easy deliverance of a guy move. Tsubasa smiled at his sibling's actions.

"Alicreia?" the girl grimaced at the voice. "Please tell me you didn't do something so immature as to play with your food."

"Yes, miss Elaine, I did, because I am an immature, simple, poor as hell teenager. The same as my brothers and sister. So if you have a problem with that I'm sorry but you should acknowledge right now that you can't change us. So either adapt, or get you snotty nosed, prissy ass face, out of our lives."

Despite the brave words, she cringed, as if her words would cause more damage than improvement.

"Children, we're leaving. No wonder you turned out as terrible as you did with such a disgrace taking care of you. She's just like her mother and now I have to fix you."

"We should fix you!" Rei, Jesse and Lena all yelled, but 'Ria was on a different subject.

"This isn't about us is it? It's not even about me. It's about our mother. I don't know what she was or wasn't to you but you have children to take care of. So stop acting like one yourself. Get over it or I'll turn you into child services for neglect."

"You dare?" Elaine asked, but Alicreia held strong. "Fine, you're mother is none of my business anymore. I'll take care of the children, but don't think it changes anything. These young ones will **not **be seeing you anytime soon. They also will not be writing."

The triplets started to argue but 'Ria silenced them.

"I'm sorry our visit was cut short, but promise me you'll behave?"

"What, no we won't behave for that witch!" The three insisted. She looked sad.

"You will, because I asked you to." Lena looked like she was about to cry.

"I miss having you as our mother sissy, you were the best."

"I'm sorry Lena, but the grown-ups don't agree with you. They think I'm too young. So do as you're asked and I'll sort this all out, 'kay?" The younger ones considered for awhile before agreeing, albeit rather grudgingly. Hugs and kisses were exchanged. Including Lena walking up and kissing both Tsubasa's and Hyoma's cheeks.

"Don't forget us, okay Tsubasa?" the younger boy nodded. Then she turned to Hyoma.

"Watch out for him, we would be rather upset if he got into any trouble" It reminded Hyoma of when 'Ria had told him not to give up on the boy. He smiled at the girl and nodded.

Soon the group was walking out the door. The woman walked stiffly, as if she thought something would go wrong at any second, but the children moved with silent defiance. Their heads were held high, shoulders strong and straight, as if to say _This isn't for you, this is for them. Don't get the wrong idea. _'Ria looked at the table for awhile, as if trying to find something, then let her head fall to the surface. It surprised Hyoma, for a moment, how much she looked like her brother.

_**Author's note:**__** ok, so this probably isn't my best work. Sorry about that but I still want to hear your thoughts!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_It's too early for phone calls, _was Alicreia's first thought, waking up three days after her siblings had left. After actually processing her thoughts, she jumped up and hurried down the stairs. She picked it up on the last ring.

"Hello?" she said, slightly breathless, and still groggy from sleep.

"Umm, hi this is Madoka, who is this?" 'Ria perked at the mention of Tsubasa's friend.

"Madoka, hi! This is Alicreia, Tsubasa's sister."

"Tsubasa has a sister? Oh. Anyway can you put Tsubasa or Hyoma on the phone?"

"Yep" she replied, "Just a moment." she placed her hand over the receiver to muffle the noise as she yelled "HYOMA! TSUBASA! GET UP!" They both yelled at her, and there was a thud as one of them fell out of the bed.

She giggled and raised the phone back to her ear. "Madoka? Yeah, they're coming." The girl on the other end of the phone chuckled.

"They were asleep, weren't they?"

"Well, it is the weekend so they kinda have the right to, but still, waking up early won't kill them." They both laughed as the two older boys came stomping down the hall. Valerie had found a job and come to get her son the day before. It made them all sad. Trai had just started to talk to them all. Tsubasa grabbed the phone and gruffly snapped, "What?"

'Ria giggled while Hyoma came to Tsubasa's rescue, as Madoka had promptly snapped at him for being rude.

"Madoka, hey, I assume you've met 'Ria…yes, we should have told you…okay, I'm putting you on speaker, why don't you do the same and we can all talk… 'Kay" 'Ria handed Hyoma a bowl and his favorite cereal as the oldest of them all set the phone down and pushed a button.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, we hear you" the girl confirmed as she handed Tsubasa his glass of orange juice.

"Wait, who's that?" a different voice, male this time, came on.

"I'm 'Ria. Tsubasa's my brother." she explained. The others all talked as her mind slid to other topics. _What happened to my science project, I have to turn that in today. _She checked the downstairs closet, than her bedroom, before remembering that she'd put the finishing touches on it last night in the living room.

_Okay, now, where're my bobby pins, this is really getting on my nerves._ while looking for the eighth (and final) bobby pin, her stomach grumbled, and she realized she was hungry. Going downstairs, she placed two pieces of bread in the toaster and set it as high as it would go.

When she came back down, she was looking for her left shoe. She wandered into the kitchen when a loud noise made her shriek.

"What happened?" Madoka asked as 'Ria relaxed and the two boys started laughing.

"the bad, scary toaster sneaked up on Alicreia." Tsubasa teased as the girl in question glared.

"Shut up." The two boys went on to explain the situation as 'Ria found her shoe. When she was dressed, had eaten her toast, and was ready to leave, the two were finally saying goodbye to their friends.

"We're going to meet them at the train, are you okay here alone for awhile?" Tsubasa asked. She stared, wondering what he was talking about. _oh gosh, what did I miss_.

"Huh?" The two boys exchanged knowing looks before turning their attention back to the youngest of their group.

"Gingka and the gang are coming. We're going to meet them at the train station, so you'll be here by yourself for awhile, that okay with you?" Hyoma asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I know I'm a little out of it, but this isn't the first time you've left me at home. I'll be fine." They smiled and went to get dressed. Tsubasa went by quietly, as usual, but he looked at Hyoma as if surprised the older boy didn't over-react at the use of the word. Once he was out of the room, Hyoma went to her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad you think of this place as your home, Alicreia." She smiled at him.

"I'm glad you let me." She hugged him goodbye, then she slid out the front door, glad that living here hadn't taken away her silent steps.

Out in the streets, 'Ria took the long way to the community center, her project board tucked under her arm. Watching people as she passed by, her mind kept flitting from one to the other. She'd never been able to keep her mind on one thing for long, it was part of what made her a good thief, never getting too hung up on one detail.

_A good thief. _the words rang in her head, almost making her stop up front, she was so surprised by them. Then 'Ria sighed. It was true, she had been a good thief. Coming to stay with Tsubasa and Hyoma had taken away some of her skills. For instance, she could no longer slip through a small window like she could before. She could no longer climb the siding of a house, and her eyes strained to see in the dark, something she never had to worry about when her focus was on paying the electric bill.

However, her steps were still silent, never giving away her position. She still noted things like which pocket someone would put their wallets. She still sought out people who were obviously somewhere else in their minds, the perfect target. And she still had that timer in her mind, so she had an almost perfect idea of what time it was.

_Some things just can't be undone, _she thought as she opened the door to the community center, making her way to the **Troubled Children **door at the end of the hallway. She still rolled her eyes at the label. She wasn't a _troubled child, _she was an _abandoned child, _as were most of the kids who came here.

Stepping into the room, she smiled at her tutor, a rather old woman who was very strict, but also quite kind. Ms. Terri was busy with another student at the moment, so 'Ria just waved and made her way to the woman at the back of the room, sitting at her desk.

The framed certificate said something along the lines of **Specialized Expert for Special and Individualized students. **'Ria had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Ms. Terri had never gone to college, and she was more of an expert than Ms. Robinson.

However, she painted a smile on her face and turned in the science project, ignoring the way the woman jumped when they poster board touched the desk. She then turned and went to one of the small computers at the sides of the room for her next assignment.

Once she was out of there, she wandered about the city, considering her new project. She was supposed to write an essay on two people she admired, one who was famous and one who wasn't, and tell how they were alike and different, along with why she admired them.

After walking most of the city streets, watching people and looking in shop windows, she made her way to the river at the edge of the city. The river was rather large, a huge bridge reaching across it. Many couples loved to spend time on the bridge, but Alicreia always preferred the spot under the bridge. It was shady (in more ways than one) and cool, with thieves and stoners and rebels all in one place. Alicreia was none of them, but she never bothered anybody so they let her stick around.

Sitting down on the tiny bench down there, she turned her gaze to the water and did her breathing exercises. Very few people knew about her breathing. It was done because she was known to have anxiety attacks, sometimes for no reason. Her mother had been like that as well, so the older woman had taught her daughter the techniques. It made Alicreia sad, that she was so like her mother, but she didn't have a choice, really. It was practice breathing or die of a panic attack when your throat shuts down. The thought made her shiver.

Slowly, she fell in to the rhythm of her breathing and she turned to her mind, trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts in her head.

_I finally get to meet Tsubasa's friends! I saw Gingka, Kenta and Kyouya on the television, but there are probably more right? Besides, I want to show them what I can do, it's not battling, but it does use a bey, and it's very pretty, oh I love blading!_

It occurred to her that if she talked this much out loud, 'Basa probably would have killed her by now, or at least locked her up in the basement. The thought made her smirk.

_I wonder what's up with Tsubasa and Hyoma. It's obvious Hyoma cares for him. And Tsubasa trusts him enough to live with him. So why is 'Basa's guard always up when he's near the boy? I must be missing something. OOOH, the river's so pretty in this lighting, I wish I had my sketchbook!_

After discarding most of her thoughts, she made her way back home, stopping to buy a cone to go from the local ice cream shop. As usual, she took her time getting back to the house, stopping to look in store windows or talk to people she knew.

That day a particular jewelry shop caught her eye. It was new to the city, having only opened about a week ago. In the window was a simple silver chain with a beautiful charm on it. Getting closer, she realized it was more of a pendant than a charm. It, too was made of silver, sparkling with pale and navy blue topaz.

Giving in, she walked into the store and asked about the necklace.

"Oh, that, it's one of my worse pieces. I'll give it to you for forty dollars." That was two weeks of pay, which, considering how little the two boys let her pay for, wasn't terrible. She nodded, realizing she had that much in her purse. She could quite easily come back later that day.

"Would you like to see something really interesting?" she asked. It immediately sparked Alicreia's curiosity. She nodded and followed the woman to the back of the store. There, she showed the girl an old fan. There was no gems on it. It was simply made of very expensive fabric, carefully shaped wooden rods and some glass beads. It took her breath away.

The woman looked at her and smiled. "Marti Gras is coming soon, you looked like the type to like such a thing" Alicreia looked at her, confused, but she shook her head kindly as if to say _no, it's not an insult._

"It's in your eyes, you like the simple things. Most people would never buy this, not even for Marti Gras. Would…you like it?"

"What, oh, no thank you. That is too pretty for me." The woman smiled.

"No, I think it's perfect for you. Fifty bucks for the necklace and the fan? An offer you can't resist." The younger of them looked at her, bewildered. It was quite true that she couldn't walk away from such a deal. But she didn't understand why this woman would give one so grreat.

"But…why?" The woman shrugged.

"I'm not sure, how about this, you take the offer, tell your friends about this place and consider taking a job here?" Alicreia must have stared for five minutes before snapping out of it and nodding.

"I don't have my money on me right now, can I come back for them?" The woman nodded easily and 'Ria thanked her before rushing out the store door. Stopping only to see the store's name and address, she hurried to the house and then back as quickly as she could. She really didn't want to miss Tsubasa and Hyoma getting back with their friends.

She somehow still got back to the house before the boys, so she stowed the necklace in her jewelry box, one of the few things she'd kept from the time with her mother, and put the fan, still in it's case, in her dresser drawer.

By the time the others got back home, she was lounging on the couch, watching t.v. with her back to the door. When the door opened she didn't even look and she laughed when someone said, "There is no way that's your sister."

She then stood and turned to see a rather big group of people standing in the entrance. The boy who she guessed had spoken was a bit taller than her, with black hair, highlighted white at the ends and a single of strand of red falling in his face. His face was rough, with sharp angles and fierce brown eyes, as if he was waiting for something to jump out at him.

"Nope, I know it's not exactly realistic, but he is my brother." she confirmed as they all looked her over and Alicreia could tell they were coming to conclusions, comparing her to her brother. Finally a boy with wild, green hair spoke.

"You didn't mention she was hot" In that moment she was glad that she took after her mother, because it meant there was very little blush on her face, even though she felt like she was on fire on the inside. A girl with icy blue hair smacked him on the arm while Tsubasa glared daggers.

"What? Everyone was thinking it" the boy didn't whine this as much as state it, as if it were a fact.

"So? That didn't mean you had to **say **it" she reasoned before turning to 'Ria. "Hi, I'm Hikaru and the idiot is my boyfriend Kyouya." Alicreia smiled, staying calm on the outside as her mind whirred on the inside.

_She's the strong one, I bet she had a hard past. And him, Kyouya's the blunt one. He doesn't sugarcoat anything._

She shook Hikaru's hand and extended hers to the boy. He stared at her as if to say _yeah, you wish._

"You know, I will slap you, so don't be an ass." He stared for a moment, this time shocked, before smirking and grasping her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Alicreia" she smirked back. 'Ria wouldn't deny that she liked to surprise people. Then she turned to the group of people still in front of her.

"You're Gingka right, I've seen you battle, that's quite some power you have." He nodded and held out his hand. She then turned to the girl with dark brown hair.

"Hi, I'm the one who called this morning." She said and 'Ria nodded.

"Is Kyouya always this blunt? Or has he been saving up for me?" she asked, drawing a chuckle from the girl.

"No, he's always like this."

"Ahh, and I was starting to feel special" she said, her voice still light and teasing as she turned to the boy who had caught her attention at first.

"And you are?"

"Masamune. I'm sorry, are you **sure **you're related to Tsubasa?"

"Yep, the eyes left little room for speculation, sorry" He nodded, and even after she turned to look at the others, she felt his eyes on her. The next people up were two boys, standing close together. They looked about her age, maybe a little younger. The red-head studied her for a moment before grinning.

"hey, I'm Yuu, this is Kenta. Why do you have those scars?" Alicreia looked down at the offending skin on her arms. It was true she had a lot of childhood scars and such things, but they were just that. She didn't know anyone who didn't have a scar from a childhood accident.

"Oh, Yuu, don't say that it's rude." the boy with green hair said. 'Ria shrugged it off.

"It's fine, I'm just a klutz." she explained and watched the two boys run off to look around the house.

They all ended up in the backyard, most of them spread out in the grass.

_Madoka is the responsible, she knows what she's talking about and she's in control, though it's obvious she likes Gingka…Gingka, he's the leader, he knows what he wants in life. I bet Yuu's the crazy one, he bounces around so much you'd think he had enough sugar to kill an elephant. Kenta doesn't seem to mind. Then again Hyoma doesn't seem to mind when Tsubasa falls asleep on his chest or yells out in the night when he's having a nightmare. And we're back to Hyoma and Tsubasa. I don't understand, why is Tsubasa so careful around him. I mean, after all, they share a room and a bed. I wonder how that happened, my room was obviously Tsubasa's at one time._

These thoughts chased themselves around her brain, every once in awhile getting distracted by something else. She felt like running and jumping and playing like a little kid again. But the reason playing had been such fun as a kid was that 'Basa had played with her. She rather doubted the quiet young man who she now lived with would do such silly things with her now. So instead she turned to Masamune, Kenta and Yuu.

"I'm bored, we should play tag." she said, but was quite surprised when they all agreed. It was fun playing the childish game.

She was running from Masamune when she tripped and fell in Kyouya's lap. He immediately grabbed her arms gently and held her in place, letting the boy tag her. She glared for awhile before saying, "You realize now you're part of the game." He protested for a minute, but the four of them slowly wore him down. In the end, he dragged all the older ones into it with him and they opened the first floor and front yard to the boundaries.

It was pitch black and Hikaru was it when 'Basa called them all in. Alicreia went about finding candles and lanterns and flashlights with Masamune while Hyoma and Kyouya dragged tables and chairs into the back yard.

Tsubasa and Madoka were cooking while Hikaru set the table and Kenta and Yuu raided the cabinets and freezer looking for deserts. Masamune and Alicreia found ten candles (most of which were in her room, because she always preferred natural light), four lanterns in the closet, and two flashlights.

They found a couple extra tables and dragged them out, setting them at the edges of the yard. Some of the candles were set on those tables, while the rest were set on the table(s) they were eating at. One lantern was set on a hook near the door leading in, the other three were hung on the fence posts and in the end, the flashlights weren't used.

Food was placed on the tables they were eating at, but Alicreia couldn't quite get the last lantern up. Masamune placed his hands cautiously on her waist, lifting her the couple of inches she needed. She placed the lantern securely on the post, cursing the dip in the yard on the inside, and he set her down, giving her a goofy grin. She smiled back and they joined the group at the table.

Alicreia and Tsubasa's father used to say that good food and good people were the best thing for anyone. Alicreia had often doubted it. Would a good meal teach a murderer that he was wrong? Would a nice person convince a thief not to steal? After all, she had stolen from plenty of nice people, it had never stopped her. However, sitting there with kind people, eating a nice meal, her arguments seamed pitiful. At least for that night, she agreed with her dad completely.

Jokes and stories were told, people were teasing, and she was told about people who weren't there.

"Benkei was going to come but he had to help out a friend." Kyouya told her. She nodded, she'd seen Benkei on the television as well. He wasn't bad, but she wasn't all that impressed either. Yuu heard Benkei's name and jumped into the conversation.

"Ben-ben, I wish he'd come, it's not the same without him" Alicreia was surprised when Kyouya nodded sympathetically. She noted that he seemed worried by something. However, before she could ask about it, the phone rang inside. She jumped up.

Inside, she caught it on the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is Alicreia there?" she was shocked by the familiar voice on the other end.

"Patrick?" she asked.

'Ria?" he seemed pleased to hear her. "Hey, I got the number from Carissa. I was just calling to see how you're doing."

"I'm pretty good, I'm living with my brother right now."

"Yeah? good, I'm glad you're happy. We all miss you, you know."

"Yeah, I miss you too. We have company right now, so I can't talk long but tell everyone I miss them, okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Ria? You know, Jacob's really sorry."

"Yeah, Patrick, I know, it's all in the past anyway right? I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright, bye Alicreia" She smiled.

"Bye." walking back out, she was very sad, missing her friends. Especially Patrick and Jacob. The two boys had been her best friends. Unfortunately the last time she'd talked to Jacob, they'd been yelling at each other. The fight had been stupid anyway. Okay, so he'd kind of stolen her boyfriend, but he'd been so upset. She remembered his guilty face and sighed. She had said some pretty nasty things, and she hadn't gotten a chance to take them back.

"Who was that" Tsubasa asked as she stepped back into the yard.

"A friend from the old neighborhood, he just called to check in on me." he looked up, the perfect example of a protective older brother.

"He?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Is just a friend. Stop being a brother, I can take care of myself." he rolled his eyes, but the subject was dropped. The tables that they had ate at were taken inside and they all spread out in the grass. Alicreia closed her eyes, listening to the other's soft voices drift across the lawn. Soon, she was dozing off, her long day catching up to her.

She dreamed she was in her old house. Her mother was cooking dinner while her father explained a math problem to Rei and Jesse in the small living room. Sitting in the room she shared with Lena and Valerie, she was fixing her younger sisters posture.

"Look, Lena, I know it's not the most expensive flute, it's not even made of metal, but you have to sit tall. Don't slouch." She placed her hand on the girl's lower back and pressed until she straightened up.

"Okay, play it one more time." Lena brought the instrument back to her lips and began to play. As the piece ended, a cry came from the kitchen.

"I got him Mom" 'Ria called. "Lena get out your other sheet, we'll work on that next, then you can go play with your brothers okay?" she nodded and Alicreia stepped into the hallway, making her way to the kitchen. As she stepped in and picked up the infant, 'Basa stepped inside.

"Dear, I'm working tonight and Tsubasa and Alicreia are both working late before hanging out with friends. You're going to be here, right?"

"Ugh, no one said they could hang out with friends." Her father raised an eyebrow.

"We agreed they could have a break. They've both been working hard. Besides, the doctor said you should stay home for the next week or so. Where do you need to go so badly?" It was asked teasingly, meaning nothing, but her mother stiffened up.

"What's that supposed to mean? Besides, I don't remember you saying you had to work tonight." He stared, as did Alicreia and Tsubasa, who had just come in. After all, their parents had always trusted each other, with little questions ever asked.

"I know, I got a chance for overtime and I took it. It's never been a big deael before."

"I just think it's odd how much you've been disappearing lately. And I just can't help but wonder, are you cheating on me?" Her father stared, shocked, for a moment before his he calmed and his poker face went up. It was scary how smooth and emotionless he looked.

"You know, usually when some one thinks their husband is cheating on them all of a sudden, it's because they're actually cheating. But that could never happen to us, right dear?" her mother stiffened up again, truly uncomfortable.

"O-of course dear." she said, but her voice came out high and strained.

"Really, so you have no interest in Reiji?" he asked, his voice innocent, though his eyes burned with anger. She stopped stirring the food on the stove, frozen for all intents and purposes. "You haven't gone out with him or spent a few nights at his house?" The baby screamed and Alicreia remembered why she was out there. Hurriedly, she picked up Kairu and began to rock him, looking through their fridge for a bottle, noting that it was too close for comfort, practically empty, despite everyone working as much as possible.

By the time Kairu was quiet, Alicreia's mother still hadn't answered.

"Kids" her father said, "Why don't you take the triplets out for ice cream. Drop Kairu off at Mrs. Kyosha." he pressed a twenty into her hand, and then they were ushered out the door.

For awhile, things were just a blur, and then they opened the door, her and her brother back with their younger siblings. Her father was standing in the kitchen, strong as ever, face completely blank. Their mother was in their bedroom, yelling as things were slammed down. Then she was coming back out, bags with hastily packed clothes in hand.

"You know what, he **appreciates **me, he **cares**. So fine, I'll leave, I'll even go with you to file for the divorce, see if I care! I hoe you all rot in this shit you call a house!" looking back, it sounded more like their mother was trying to convince herself.

The woman stormed out the front door, not even saying good-bye to her children. Rei and Jesse stopped Lena from following, but Alicreia was too quick. She ran out the front door to her Mom.

"No! Come back! Mommy, please, please come back." The beautiful woman who had always been Alicreia's role model didn't even look back. Didn't even consider the child who had always looked so much like her. She just kept walking, as if her destination was more important than the girl she had helped raise. _It's because your useless, _she thought, her depression rising. _Who would want you? Who would love you?_

She choked on her breath and fell to her knees. The world shook and her vision blurred as her throat tightened.

" 'Ria! 'Ria, Alicreia!" her brother's voice echoed in her head.

She gasped for air as she woke up, realizing that day was long gone and she was okay. However, she couldn't seem to get oxygen to her lungs, and the world really was swimming now.

"'Ria, sweetie, look at me, it's alright. Just breathe, 'kay?" Slowly, she remembered her breathing exercises and began on them, things coming back into focus as she found her brother kneeling above her.

He and Hyoma helped her sit up, the two boys fussing over her quietly. Tsubasa looked worried, and she guessed he was remembering the last time she had hyperventilated like that. Hyoma looked shell-shocked, like he half expected her to keel over and die any second. It surprised her, and she remembered that this would be the first time he'd ever seen her have a panic attack.

"I'm fine, really, just…a scary dream." she saw Tsubasa note her moment of hesitation but ignore it.

"Umm, is she alright?" Masamune was timidly stepping forward, concern obvious on his face.

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Tsubasa confirmed. "Can you stand?" Alicreia nodded and the two boys backed off to give her some space. She placed her hands firmly on the ground, got her feet under her, and pushed up. She managed to stand, but she trembled and Tsubasa rushed forward to help, as did everyone else, though they quickly stopped and stepped back.

"Bed?" the one word question was all that was needed. She nodded and he swept her up, one arm under her knees, the other supporting her back, carrying her like their father used to.

He brought her into the kitchen and quickly made her a cup of tea, pouring a tiny bit of liquid medicine into it.

"It'll help you sleep" he explained. She drank it quickly, quietly, sitting at the table while the others watched her cautiously from the living room.

When she was done Tsubasa picked her up again, with such ease it made her wonder just how underweight she was. He carried her up to her room and set her in bed. He sat on the bed while Alicreia slid under the covers.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"When mom left." Alicreia answered simply, she could hear voices from downstairs, as well as the hum of her radio, still on but turned way down so it was only background noise. He looked at her with such honest concern that it almost scared her.

"You **do **matter, 'Ria, you're amazing. Just because Mother couldn't see it, or because I wasn't there to show you it doesn't mean it isn't true. Don't forget that." She nodded, feeling silly from the tears gathering in her eyes. He tucked the covers around her, kissed her forehead and then left.

Once the door was closed, Alicreia closed her eyes, focused on the soft music now filling the room, and let the sleep medicine take it's affect.


	5. Chapter 5

Now that Alicreia was safely in bed, Tsubasa made his way back downstairs, finding his old friends staring. He shrugged it off and went into the kitchen, washing the dishes. Hyoma stepped up beside him and dried the dishes before putting them away.

"So, how long are you guys gonna be in town" the older boy asked, trying to lessen the strain in the house.

"We're staying until the day after Marti Gras." Madoka explained. There was silence for a moment, then Tsubasa felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Tsubasa, what happened? It looked like-she…I don't know what it looked like, what happened?"

"Basically what she said. She had a bad dream and it caused a panic attack. She's always had them, memories set her off easily. Especially-" he cut off. They didn't know about his background. After all, how could they respect him if they knew he left his family when they needed him most.

"I didn't even know you had a sister. How come you never told us?" Kyouya asked. Tsubasa recalled that he had lost his parents to a hurricane, but not before his father gave him those scars on his face. 'Basa also knew they weren't the only ones. He'd seen them.

"It never came up" he said turning off the water and looking to them. They all looked at him with skeptical expressions. Of course it had come up. It had come up at the last dinner they'd all had together. He sighed.

"My life's…complicated at best. And I'm not proud of it. Please, trust me you don't want to hear my story." Realizing they weren't getting anything from him they turned to lighter topics. While they talked about the old days, he finished the dishes and then joined them in the living room just long enough to tell Hyoma that he was going to bed. He felt the older boys eyes on him as he moved up the stairs, but he ignored them and continued to their shared room.

_Shared room_. His mind fell to the subject again as he undressed and slipped into pajamas. He smiled at the memory of waking up that morning. Alicreia had yelled for them, as usual on weekends. They had grumbled and yelled back, angry that they were being woken up so early. The two had also got annoyed and shoved at each other. However, when Hyoma had turned to get away from the contact, he ended up on the floor.

Tsubasa wouldn't deny that the older boy was cute right then, slumped ungracefully on the floor with sleepy eyes, messy hair and a firm pout gracing his lips. It awed him how uncoordinated the boy was. And how amazing he could look when falling out of bed on his ass.

Those thoughts worried him. He had long since accepted that he liked boys. His poor neighbor had taken away any doubt, though he hadn't been kind about it. The problem was that the boy was _Hyoma, _who he had to share a bed with, a house with. Maybe it would be okay, but his _sister_ was living here as well. She _did not _need to be exposed to that.

_In other words, you're making excuses to cover up the fact that you're terrified of being in a relationship with him. _He winced at the 'Ria in his mind, which was what he called that small, realistic voice that, because it sounded so much like his sister when he was in denial.

_You're just scared that he'll leave and you won't be able to deal with it. The same way you couldn't deal with Mom leaving. _The voice accused, he could practically see his younger sister saying it, hand on her hip and holding him in place with her eyes. He winced again, not at what it actually meant, but at the word _mom._ He hadn't referred to his mother that way since before she left.

"Shut up" he said to himself.

"Who are you talking to?" he whirled about to see Hyoma standing in the doorway, one hand on the frame. He hadn't even heard the door open.

"How long have you been there" he asked. Hyoma shrugged.

"Only long enough to see you clench your hand hard enough to leave marks and tell an invisible person to shut up." he said. His tone was teasing, but Tsubasa tensed up. "Everyone left for the hotel and 'Ria's asleep. I was wondering if you wanted to watch some TV?" At some point, the younger boy's eyes had dropped to the floor. Now he looked up shyly. He nodded, and Hyoma led him back down to the living room.

In the end, they tried to pull an all-nighter, forgetting sleep in favor of a Harry Potter marathon and microwave pizza. About halfway through the sixth movie, he fell asleep against Hyoma's chest.

That was the second time he fell asleep against the boy and woke up in bed. This time, the older boy was spread out across the bed, having kicked off the sheets at some point. Tsubasa was tucked into his side, apparently looking for some heat in the other boy. He found himself rather unwilling to get up, comfortable in Hyoma's arms. He steered his thoughts away from that topic, but didn't get up.

He lied there for about ten minutes before he felt the other boy shift and wake up. Hyoma looked over at him with faint surprise.

"You know, other than yesterday, this is the first time you've stayed in bed until I woke up." he whispered, trying not to break the peace in the room. Tsubasa shrugged.

"I was too comfy to move" he admitted. Hyoma looked slightly shocked by this, but he didn't say anything, simply turning on his side so he was facing the younger boy. Tsubasa was rather annoyed to find his heat source gone and scooted closer to Hyoma, cuddling against his chest.

Looking up, he found his face mere centimeters from the older boy's. _Stop, stop this. Stop it now! _he thought, but he didn't shrink away. He felt like he had been trapped by the boy's eyes. They were a rather odd color, he noted easily, but rather pretty. At the moment, though, the dark blue was holding him in spot, and he felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Tell me if I should stop" Hyoma whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He drew away carefully, studying Tsubasa's face carefully. "Okay, tell me I'm a sick faggot so we can get this over with" he said with certainty after a long pause, though he looked like he was about to be sick, and Tsubasa wondered how he could misread him so thoroughly. However, instead of saying anything to reassure the boy, he craned his neck, in the end having to move up on his elbow to place a kiss on the others lips. _Because, _he reasoned, _even though that pout is very cute, I prefer his smile. _

When he drew back, the other was beaming, but he still eyed him with caution.

"If this is some kind of sick joke-" he began, but Tsubasa cut him off with a gentle shove.

"Of course not, could you imagine how 'Ria would react? She'd **kill **me."

"Oh really?"

"yea" he said with ease, snuggling back into the boy's side. "She's been bugging me about kissing you since the day she got here." Hyoma laughed. They both looked up as the door slammed close. Then it opened again and she was glaring at them.

"Gosh, I know I said to hurry up and kiss him but still! Next time put a sock on the door or something!" they both chuckled as she walked in as if she owned the place, before sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Nice to see you two acting all disgusting and sweet and all, but I need to steal Tsubasa." Hyoma pouted, and this time Alicreia chuckled at the childish action.

"Why" they both whined and she rolled her eyes.

"Because I have a date and I need someone to help me pick an outfit." 'Basa sat up immediately, making Hyoma glare.

"Who?" he demanded, but she only grinned mischievously and raised an eyebrow. Then she stood and walked out of the room. The carefully paced strides and small sway of her hips was enough to tell them that she already knew she'd won. Tsubasa huffed. He gave Hyoma a gentle kiss before standing and following his sister to her room.

An hour later, the two emerged, Tsubasa looking thoroughly bored, Alicreia looking pleased. Dressed in a simple white shirt, blue skirt and black leggings, her bangs were braided and pinned away from her face and her eyes were accented by silver eyeliner around the outside. Seeing her in such a state, Hyoma was again shocked by how beautiful she really was.

"So, who are you dating?" 'Basa asked as the doorbell rang. She laughed and rushed to the door. Opening it, three guys were waiting outside.

"No one! This is Patrick, Jacob and Kyo. They're from the old neighborhood. I just wanted to look nice today." Tsubasa glared as she let the boys in.

"You dragged me out of bed, away from Hyoma, talking about **dates, **because you wanted to **look nice.**" She giggled.

"Technically, it is a date, just not the kind you thought I meant" she pointed out. He looked like he wanted to lock her in a closet. The three boys were waiting patiently, and then she turned to address them.

"Patrick" she called out and he moved to give her a hug, sweeping her off her feet and holding her there for a second. She hit him gently in the back of the head.

"Put. Me. Down" he dropped her and she landed gracefully on her feet, sticking out her tongue at him before turning to the other two.

"Kyo, Jacob, how have you been?" Jacob seemed cautious, but Kyo was completely at ease, bending to kiss her on the cheek.

"We're good. Busy with school, what about you? How're you dealing with having **parents**?" he spoke the word as if it was the worst thing he could think of. She rolled her eyes. Tsubasa stared, he couldn't think of where he knew the boy. Then it clicked and he was suddenly very uncomfortable. Kyo looked up and grinned.

"Hey, 'Basa, you still hate me?" Alicreia slapped his arm.

"He never hated you. He was just a baby and couldn't handle his own feelings, much less yours." Patrick and Jacob laughed while Kyo blushed. Hyoma looked at Tsubasa curiously. _Later, _he mouthed and looked back towards his sister.

"Jacob, are you just going to stay silent this whole time? It's okay, everything's fine between us!" he didn't answer still and she began to look hurt. His eyes fell to the ground, and when she reached out to touch his arm, he jerked away.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked. He looked up.

"What? No, look 'Ria, I kind of have bad news." he explained, then said something, but he mumbled so badly, no one could tell what he said.

"What? Jacob, come on, speak up, we don't bite" he looked at Kyo, who nodded his encouragement and smiled at him.

"I know where your mother is" she nodded, but now fear was drawing across her face. "She, umm, she's living with my father" She nodded again.

"Does she know we're friends?"

"Yes. But 'Ria, she isn't stable, you shouldn't worry if she does-"

"It's okay Jacob" she said, her voice cracking. "She doesn't care. It's fine." He and Kyo averted their eyes to the floor, away from the upset face. Patrick, however, met her gaze steadily.

"Who cares? I know she's your mom but if she can't see how amazing you are, than there's no point in you being hurt. She doesn't have any clue what she's missing." she smiled at him and he wrapped his arms around her, a tight hug. She pulled away after a moment.

The boy flashed her a grin and turned to Hyoma and Tsubasa.

"Hyoma, right? I've seen you battle. You're really good." Hyoma nodded.

"Thanks." Patrick turned to Tsubasa, giving a curt nod. It only took a glance to realize the boy knew what had happened and didn't like it. However, he didn't seem to want to ruin the moment for Alicreia.

"You know we missed your birthday, Licrie. I know it was what? Seven months ago but still. We should celebrate." She shrugged it off.

"Fourteen isn't much. Besides, how old are you now? Sixteen? You're getting old on me." she joked. He grinned.

"Okay, so we'll celebrate both. You being the youngest smother ever. And me being old." she laughed, gently punching his shoulder.

"Since you're the old one, can I assume you're buying." the jokes and laughter continued as the four left the house, Alicreia barely calling out a quick "Bye" before she was dragged away.

Hyoma and Tsubasa spent most of the day inside, lazing about, and being 'disgustingly sweet' as 'Ria had put it. However, around noon, 'Basa's restlessness got to him, and they ended up at bey park. There was a battle going on, drawing a lot of attention.

Walking over, they recognized the dark hair signifying Alicreia. Getting closer, it took them a moment to realize that she was the one battling. The two pushed past the crowds to see Kyouya on the other end.

"Gravity Perseus! Crescent swipe!" she called out in a surprisingly quiet way. It was weirdly quiet, everyone wanting to hear what she said. The bey spun for a moment before taking off, making a sharp turn, sending it around almost half the stadium, then towards Leone. Before Kyouya had a chance to react, Perseus was sending the other bey towards the outer edge.

"Steady, Leone, let's win this!" Leone steadied, beginning to whip around the outer edge.

"Perseus! Attack head-on!" still with that quiet voice, as if she was scared to hurt someone's ears.

"I can't believe she still has that" Tsubasa whispered to the older boy. "I bought it for her when she was five." Hyoma smiled. "Even back then it was cheap."

The bey attacked, but was immediately deflected back. Leone went back to circling the arena, and, in relation, Perseus.

"Gravity Perseus, sneak attack." The bey disappeared.

"Whoa, how does it do that?" Madoka asked, she, Yuu and Kenta having snuck up on them at some point. Hyoma cringed when Tsubasa immediately dropped his hand. He understood why, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"You'll see, I'm sure Kyouya will figure it out soon." Tsubasa said, his eyes searching the crowd for something. Finally, he found it and waved them over. Kyo, Jacob and Patrick made their way to the other group

"How long has this been going on?" he asked quietly.

"'Bout twenty minutes. I can't believe she's just using sneak attack. Usually she tries to get battles over with quickly so she can go back to practicing." Patrick replied.

"But battles are the best part" Kenta argued.

"Yeah," Kyo agreed. "But she doesn't really battle. Her specialty is control performances."

"Control performances? What are those?"

"They're kind of like scales for an instrument, or drills for an athlete. In our neighborhood, the younger kids learn the basics with control performances. They use their bey's moves to create cool affects. Alicreia used to teach them for the kids when she still lived there." Jacob explained. "She was really good."

At some point, 'Ria's bey had reappeared. It vanished again, then appeared _under _Leone, sending Kyouya's bey flying into the air and out of the stadium.

The boy picked it up from the concrete beside him. He seemed shocked by her abilities. Gravity Perseus flew up and was caught readily by Alicreia. She turned and walked away with only a quick nod to Kyouya.

The group followed her to a secluded spot in the park with small ramps, a set of stairs and a bunch of concrete pots scattered about.

"Stay quiet. She wont do anything serious if she knows we're here." Kyo warned. Alicreia was setting Perseus back into her launcher, getting ready to start.

"Three, two, one" she counted down quietly. "Let it rip!" The bey flew out and landed on the railing of the stairs.

"Perseus, head-on attack" she called and it slid down the railing, flying off the end and towards one of the concrete pots.

"Sneak attack" It fell onto the pot, then reappeared near the ramps. Flying up the ramp, it hit the ground and vanished again, just like in the battle. Reappearing near her feet, she sent it back up the stairs. Landing on the rail, it spun faster and faster on the very end of the metal pipe.

"Gravity glide" It spun even faster, and small glass pebbles flew up to hover near it, rotating around the spinning bey like planets. Then the bey gave a small jump, landing with it's tip in the air and it's spin track hooked on the railing. Sliding down, the pebbles still rotated around it, occasionally hitting the metal and sending off sparks. It took them all a moment to realize that it was a willing affect. She wanted her bey to do that.

"Oh, come on, you didn't even give me a chance to figure out your moves." a voice complained. Her bey fell and continued to spin as she turned to see who was there. Kyouya stood at the side of the stairs. His arms were crossed, but a small grin was set on his face.

"Sorry, I wanted to get back to practice." she explained simply, picking up Gravity Perseus and slipping it into her pocket.

"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you do it." She gestured him forward, before turning her head and looking directly at them."You all might as well come out also" she said. They slid out from their hiding place behind a cluster of trees and made their way to where she stood.

Once they were all standing near her, she led the way to the spot where Perseus disappeared the second time. She squatted down and pointed. There in the concrete was a hole just big enough for the bey to slide through.

"It's performance tip drills small holes in the ground at certain spots to create weak spots, than it increases it's weight and falls underground, where it uses vibrations in the ground to find the other bey. But sometimes it gets confused underground, so I have it come back up once, then disappear again." She explained. Kyouya let out a low whistle.

"And you figured this all out on your own?"

"Yep, it took awhile to master, but the look on people's faces when my bey vanishes into thin air? Priceless." They smiled at the small smirk on her face.

"What about how the pebbles rotated around it?" Madoka asked.

"Oh, that one's easy. Gravity Perseus creates it's on gravity, just a small amount. Nothing compared to the Earth. It's just enough to pick up a small objects. Dragon tears, little rocks. Or, if I'm battling, a bey."

"Really? that's amazing Alicreia" Kenta said, obviously in awe.

"Those are mainly attack moves though. It's a defense type bey. Gravity glide is usually used to jump over another bey when it's attacking. I kind of feel bad for not drawing the battle out longer, you didn't get to see much except Kyouya attacking and Perseus dodging." They all nodded. Suddenly, she screamed. All of them went on guard, trying to find the source of her distress. When they did, everyone was rather disappointed.

"Patriiick! No fair! S-stop tickl-ling meeee!" she cried, falling against him. He laughed and picked her up the same way 'Basa had the night before.

"Ha! Now I've got you and I'm going to lock you up in my tower where no one can find you!" he yelled, spinning her around in his arms. She giggled while Tsubasa, Kyouya and Hyoma exchanged looks of confusion and Jacob and Kyo rolled their eyes. Madoka, Yuu and Kenta seemed to be under the impression that the two have lost their minds.

"But why? I've never done anything to you" she said, eyes twinkling with mischief and mirth.

"because, I have fell in love with your beauty and will not rest until we are married." he barely got out what should have been a declaration of love. However, he was laughing so hard he couldn't seem to get it out right, and it definitely didn't sound serious. 'Ria giggled again as he set her down and they both collapsed to the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Tsubasa turned to Jacob.

"Were they always like this?" The boy nodded.

"Thankfully they never dated. Could you imagine how wacky they would be?" He shook his head. "We wouldn't live through the week." Kyo laughed.

"Not necessarily true. We could probably make it through a week, assuming they stayed together that long. If it was **serious, **then we'd have a problem." The two teenagers were still on the ground, now looking at each other in a contemplative way.

"Date you?" they both said. After a long pause they both began laughing again.

'Oh, could you imagine?" Patrick asked. "We were bad enough when we both had a crush on each other."

"You guys had a crush on each other?" Kyo and Jacob both asked, but the two on the ground continued to ignore them.

"Or how we acted when Jess dared me to kiss you. I couldn't look at you for a week!" she declared.

"At least you were somewhat mature about it! I ran away and hid out at Kyo's for the rest of the month! In the end his mom kicked me out!" they both laughed again, until Alicreia suddenly stopped, the faintest sign of tears in her eyes. Scooting over, she wrapped an arm around him in a hug which he immediately returned.

"I missed you guys" she whispered. Patrick smiled.

"We missed you too. You wouldn't believe how boring it is back home with my best friend gone." he then sat up and gently shoved her off of him. "Now don't go all mushy on me woman. Let's go get you an ice cream, yeah?" she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not seven you know!" but she stood up and followed him up the stairs anyway, waving for the others to come as well.

**Author's note; okay, it's done and you better not flame too, because this is 18 pages, two weeks worth of hard work and almost-writers-block! Sometimes I wonder if anyone even reads this. ****L anyway, hope you liked it!**

**P.S. Hyoma and Tsubasa really weren't supposed to get together yet. L they were supposed to get together on Marti Gras. Oh well, guess 'Ria will have to hook up with someone then. Review to tell me of you want her to end up with. Patrick will be around in the story for at least two more chapters, so he is an option, even though that really wasn't the plan.**


	6. Chapter 6

Alicreia left her job at the jewelry shop quickly, calling her goodbye as she rushed out the door. Somehow she'd convinced her boss to let her leave early, even though the new batch of necklaces had just been made and needed to be placed on display. Usually she wouldn't dream of skipping out on her workload, but she had lots to do today.

Taking the long way home, Ria paused under the banner declaring the celebration. _**Marti Gras! **_it said in big bold letters, making her grin. In Ria's experience Christmas and Halloween had always been disappointments. There just wasn't enough to go around..

However, on Marti Gras the boys would make paper masks and the girls would dress up in dresses from Mother's childhood and they would all go to the town square together, looking like rich strangers.

This year, Alicreia and her friends, Sasuke and Ty Lee, had designed their own dresses. Ty Lee's mother had made the dresses free of charge. Suddenly, Alicreia found herself regretting taking the long way to the house. She wanted to be home trying on her dress and doing her make-up. She wanted to know if Tsubasa had decided to come with her, as Hyoma had readily agreed. Anxious to reach her street, she now ran the path home.

Once she was there, she found the pleasant surprise of the whole gang being there.

"Hey, guys! Are you going to the Marti Gras party" she asked, taking off her jacket and tennis shoes. They all nodded and she shot a wicked grin out to them.

Try and convince Basa to come with us yeah?" she asked of them before running up the stairs.

Ty Lee and Sasuke were already in her room, waiting patiently with five long bags folded over the desk chair.

"Is that them" she asked, slipping out of her work uniform and into a simple silk shaft for under her dress. Ty Lee nodded.

"I brought a couple extra if the girls downstairs want to try them." Alicreia nodded and ran back downstairs to kidnap the two girls.

"I don't see why you dragged us up here" Madoka said as Ria slammed the door shut. Hikaru nodded and let her eyes fall to the two sitting on the bed.

"Who are they?"

"Sasuke and Ty Lee. Ty Lee's mother is a seamstress. I thought you two would like to try on a Mardi Gras dress." the two considered for a moment before nodding and Ty Lee handed out the dresses.

One of the few things Alicreia had bought since moving in with Tsubasa and Hyoma was several cheap, Chinese-design dressing screens. The five girls each slid behind one and changed. Alicreia could here Madoka and Hikaru zip up each others dresses and Ty Lee fix Sasuke's laces, but she really didn't want help getting hers on.

She was suddenly reconsidering the design for her dress. The strapless torso showed off her slender arms, but it also flaunted the scars that laced her upper chest and hands. The low backline gave full view of her bony shoulder blades and ribs, while the tight fit that was supposed to create curves gave way to her slim, straight body.

Ty Lee's head poked around the screen, finding Alicreia looking concernedly at her arms and torso.

"Do you not like it?"

"It's beautiful" Alicreia said, running her hands over the silky fabric. "I'm not" Ty Lee rolled her eyes and dragged the dark haired girl out into the open. Spinning her around, the shorter of the two zipped up the gown and quickly did up the laces to hide it. Whirling her about again, this time Ria was stopped in front of the mirror.

"Of course you're beautiful. What else would we call that?" the girls all stared as Ty Lee grinned smugly and leaned against the desk.

Alicreia's dark hair and tan skin shown beautifully against the light blue and her gold eyes were well accented by the black detail. She blushed furiously at the sight of herself, looking even more stunning with her naturally rosy cheeks.

"See? It's perfect. Ready to show the guys?" Ty Lee asked as Sasuke and Hikaru checked their make-up in the mirror.

"Go on ahead, I'll meet you down there" Ria told them, making her way to her dresser. She had told them about the new job, but mentioned nothing of her new accessories, saving the items for today. Oce they had left she opened her jewelry box and grabbed the long narrow box from the dresser.

The other day, Ty Lee and Alicreia had gone out to buy special make-up for Ria's look. Now she quickly applied her base and a tiny amount of blush, her bronze eye shadow accented with dark blue eyeliner with flecks of gold. Then she carefully added the dark berry lipstick and her mascara.

Just as she finished, a knock sounded on her door and she cautiously opened it by a tiny crack to peek out. Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped out of the way to let Basa in to take care of her unmanageable hair.

He quickly but efficiently braided her bags and clipped them in the back. Then he slowly wet down her hair with a spray bottle of water and blow-dried it with cold air to create a wild, curly wave for the rest of it.

With one last look in the mirror, the two siblings headed down the stairs, Ria clipping on the necklace and sliding the fan open to be held in front of her face.

When they reached the last step everyone turned to look at them. Tsubasa was dressed in a simple tux, his hair held away from his face in the usual manner. A simple mask, combined with gold eyes made him look almost like a modern day Egyptian priest presuming the idea of an eagle. Hyoma grinned from under his simple silver mask and pulled the blonde to his chest. The two had announced their relationship just the day before and the older boy definitely enjoyed flaunting it.

Alicreia blushed as the eyes slowly turned away from the couple and towards her. She carefully brought the fan up to her face to hide all but her eyes. Masamune pretended to pout and stepped forward, pushing her hand back down to her side.

"If you're going to wear something so beautiful and look amazing, you should flaunt it, not hide away behind a bit of lace" he told her reasonably. She blushed and brought the fan up again, though this time it only hid her chin, lips peaking out over the top.

"You shouldn't say such things, sir" she told him with a grin. "Or my brother, the eagle might just drop you in a river. Besides, I'm afraid my first dance has already been given away."

"Just as long as it's not you're first child" he said, eyebrow rising up in a suggestive way. She stared for a moment before regaining her composure, smirk firmly planted on her lips.

"Well, you would know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" She asked innocently. He grinned.

"Only with you"

"You know what" Tsubasa cut in. "I'm not sure I like what this is implying. So why don't you stay away from my sister, and we all go to the party?" Everyone laughed and flooded towards the door, Basa's arm wrapped around her shoulder. She sent him one last smile before following after Hikaru and Kyouya.

When the music started at the party, Ria was still outside, watching the parade pass through. Her eye followed a particular juggler, watching each apple be tossed into the air only to be caught a second later, when Patrick found her. The night had dawned cold and windy, so they both considered it justified when he wrapped his jacket around her.

"You know you promised me a dance" he told her, reminding the younger girl of the day before she left with her sister.

_*memory*_

"_We're still best friends right" she asked quietly as he packed her last coat into the suitcase._

"_Of course" he said grinning, "We'll see each other soon. Write to me okay?" she nodded and he pulled her into a hug, placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead in the same fashion he always had._

"_I have to go. Save me a dance, Princess" he said, slipping out of the room she shared with Lena and the family room before she had a chance to scold him for calling her that._

_*end*_

"How could I forget" she asked with a laugh. "I've been looking forward to this for months" it wasn't ballroom music, but the song was slow, so he placed his hands at neutral territory on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They swayed and turned to the music, trying to forget how different things were. A comfortable silence overtook them, both lost in their own thoughts.

He remembered what she was like after Mrs. Otori left, the way she seemed to crumble before his very eyes. A particular night pressed to the forefront of his mind as he watched the short girl before him.

_* Patrick's memory*_

_He had almost fallen asleep when the doorbell rang. Cursing his parents, their vacation and whoever thought this was the right time to come to his house, Patrick stood, pulled on some shorts and went to get the door. The sight that met him was definitely a surprise. _

"_Dad's watching the kids" she told him, teeth chattering and soaked to the bone from the storm raging outside. "I just couldn't do it. Please, Patrick, can I stay here? Just for tonight?" he nodded without a second thought and let her inside. He left for a moment to get a towel and clothes for her. He moved as quickly as possible, but when he got back, she was already asleep, curled up on the floor against the couch. He really did hate to wake her when she was so obviously exhausted, but he also couldn't let her sleep in that wet shirt._

"_Licrie? Princess, sweetie, you have to wake up and change" he said, helping her up and guiding the younger teen to the bathroom. She came out in his basketball shorts and an old graphic tee. She was swimming in both, but they would have to do._

_He stayed on the couch while she took his bedroom, but the universe was most definitely against his getting to sleep tonight. As thunder shook his old house and lightning cracked outside, he was shaken back to consciousness by a timid hand. He met her wide-eyed stare as she crouched beside him._

"_Let me guess. You're scared" he said and she protested defiantly, but then a bolt of lightning struck outside and the thunder crashed, making her let out a rather undignified squeak. With a sigh, she admitted defeat and nodded miserably._

_Leading her back to his room, this time he lied down and let her snuggle into his side._

_The next morning he found her a pair of jeans headed for the local Goodwill and a long-sleeved button up that wouldn't be missed. Lots of people made fun of her for wearing it to school but he assured her that there was nothing wrong with it._

"_As long as you're comfortable in it, what does it matter" he reasoned as he led them to their math class, pausing to flip off a certain guy who cracked a joke about her clothes._

_After the last bell of the day, Patrick missed the bus. His excuse? "I was busy beating the shit out of that ass-hole's face."_

_* memory over*_

As her best friend spun her away and then back to him, Alicreia tried to remember the last time they had just been _Ria and Patty, the crazy best friends. _Not _Alicreia and Patrick, that poor freak and the guy who protects her._

_*Alicreia's memory*_

_Sixth grade had been boring for them. They were in the last week of school and nothing interesting had happened._

"_Alright" she told him "I have the perfect victim." He laughed and grabbed two apples from the lunch line, tossing one to her. She shoved it back into his hands._

"_I can't afford it" with a roll of his eyes, he tossed the red fruit back. Slipping his hand into his front pocket, he pulled a five out and waved it airily in her face._

"_Relax, you're covered." The two reached the end of the line and Patrick scanned his card. The woman scowled at him and nodded him through. Alicreia nervously stepped forward and scanned her own card._

"_Sorry" the lady said with a grin. "You don't have enough money." Now Patrick stepped in as he had on several other occasions._

"_That's alright. How much for the lunch" Mrs. Tino was known for being a widow of two husbands, and all three of her children had died in their teen years. No one really believed that she had killed her families, but if there was any doubt that she hated children it was wiped away the moment she spoke._

"_Unfortunately, you are no longer allowed to pay for another's lunch outside of your family." Patrick blinked and continued staring, confused._

"_I've helped pay for her lunches since the third grade. Why can't I now?" Alicreia blushed and tugged the older boy's sleeve._

"_Whatever. Let's just get my alternative lunch and go." Mrs. Tino didn't even blink an eye before answering._

"_No alternative lunches left" Patrick almost jumped the lady, but Ria grabbed his arm and dragged him away._

_After lunch, before class truly started, Mrs. Lott would allow students to ask questions, just as long as they were serious. All other hands had been raised and people were contentedly waiting for the assignment when a stray hand was raised._

"_Ma'am? I'm sorry I have a question." Patrick said. Mrs. Lott turned away from the blackboard and faced him._

"_Yes?"_

"_Have you ever lent a friend money when they didn't have enough for lunch?" This must have struck the teacher as odd, but she patiently nodded, noting Ria's head hit the desk in embarrasment_

"_Even this year?" another nod._

"_Then why couldn't I pay for Ria's lunch?" Mrs. Lott always called them by their last names and a look of confusion passed over her face._

"_Ms. Otori, Ma'am" Patrick revised. Alicreia was frantically shaking her head from two seats over while he studiously ignored her._

"_I don't think you should be spending your parents money on someone else, Mr. Otega." she said after a long pause._

"_My parents are aware of Ms. Otori's situation and I have permission to help her whenever and however I can." he told her, meeting the adult's eyes steadily. She sighed and walked out of the classroom. The children exchanged baffled looks until she came back with the vice principle._

"_You all know Mr. Smith. Behave until I get back. You two, follow me"_

"_Ria's lunch was paid for and she sat with Patrick in the otherwise empty lunchroom, eating quickly while he gave her the spelling test she doing the same for him once she had dumped her tray._

_*end*_

Before they realized it, the song was over and the moment passed. Glancing around, Alicreia was pleased to find no one was looking for them yet. Patrick had released her, but she grabbed his hands.

"Oh, please Patrick, one more song? Please?" he laughed and pulled her back towards him as a familiar song came on, leading in a simple dance.

**She spins and she sways**

**To whatever song plays**

**Without a care in the world**

**While I'm sitting here wearing**

**The weight of the world on my shoulders**

They joked as they swayed to the music, occasionally Patrick would sweep her up and lift her the way they did in the movies. She giggled and fell against his chest as he set the small girl back on the ground.

**So I will dance with Cinderella**

**While she is here in my arms**

**Cause I know something the prince never knew**

**Oh I will dance with Cinderella**

**I don't wanna miss even one song**

**Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight…**

**And she'll be gone**

**She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed**

**She wants to know if I approve of this dress**

**She says "dad the prom is just one week away**

**And I need to practice my dancing**

**Oh please, daddy, please**

He twirled her quickly, letting her stumble slightly back into his arms. Laughing, she stepped closer, reducing the steps to swaying back and forth. Placing her head on his chest, she sang along to the next verse. Catching the lyrics, Patrick quietly hummed along with her.

"**Well she came home today with a ring on her hand**

**Just glowing and telling us all they had planned**

**She says dad the wedding's still six months away**

**And I need to practice my dancing**

**Oh please, daddy, please**

A hand tapped on Patrick's shoulder. Looking over, Alicreia was met with familiar, intense eyes.

"May I cut in?" Masamune asked as Ria bit her lip nervously. Patrick nodded but led him away, leaving the young girl to sway by herself until they came back. The two boys talked until the song was over, making their way over as a new one was put on.

"From what I've heard, Madoka's still waiting for a dance, so I'm gonna see if I can spur Gingka into action I'll see you later, yeah?" She nodded and Patrick headed inside. Biting her lip, it occurred to Ria that she was outside alone with Masamune. Now if only she could get her heart to stop slamming against her ribcage, this would be fun…


	7. Chapter 7

"So," Hyoma said as he walked with Basa, "What's with you and Kyo?"

Tsubasa blushed and looked to the ground. "When I still lived at home Kyo was my first kiss" the younger of the two looked up to find his boyfriend grinning at him, eyebrow raised in prompt to continue. "I went on to curse him out and insist he never talk to me ever again."

The taller boy was staring, caught somewhere between confused and incredulous.

"What? I was a thirteen year old boy! All I knew was my mother thought gays were disgusting and all the kids in my school seemed to agree. I wasn't exactly coping well!" Hyoma laughed and pulled the shorter boy to his chest.

"You really should apologize for that" he whispered in Basa's ear. The younger boy swatted him away with a short laugh.

"Oh, trust me, I did. Ria dragged me over to his house, knocked on the door and threatened to tell all my secrets to everyone if I didn't apologize."

"Hyoma laughed and they walked in silence until he nudged Tsubasa and nodded. "Hey, look at that."

Patrick was leading Madoka in a dance while Gingka leaned against a wall, glaring at them. Hyoma and Tsubasa snickered as he finally pushed off the wall and walked over, tapping on Patrick's shoulder. A quick conversation took place before Alicreia's best friend walked away with a pleased smile.

"You know" he said, pausing to speak to the couple, "I'm kind of proud of myself. That's the second couple I've set up today."

"Who's the other" Basa asked, but Patrick just smiled and walked away. Exchanging a confused look with his boyfriend, Hyoma gently pulled him along in a continuation of their walk, finally stopping at a large window. Looking out at the yard, Tsubasa glared at the scene taking place before him.

Alicreia had her arms wrapped around Masamune's neck. His hands rested on her waist as they swayed to the music. They were talking softly, from the looks of it, and his sister blushed under his intense gaze, letting her eyes fall to the ground.

He had almost gone to stop them, but voted against it when strong arms wrapped about his waist. "Leave them be" Hyoma said, pressing a kiss into his hair. "Alicreia's a big girl. She can take care of herself." Tsubasa nodded and allowed Hyoma to drag him onto the floor for a dance.

The gentle sways paused as Hikaru and Kyouya passed, yelling at each other as they fled the building. Hyoma turned back to look at his boyfriend. "Do you think we should stop them?"

"With those two" Tsubasa shook his head. "I'm not going within a hundred feet of them" the older boy laughed and they continued dancing.

An hour later, Madoka was walking towards them looking worried. "Have you seen Kyouya? Hikaru came back but he didn't" The two boys shook their heads.

"What happened anyway?"

"They broke up. From what I can tell, he basically told her to get out of his business." Hyoma let out a low whistle and turned to his boyfriend, who was looking around with concern.

"I haven't seen Alicreia in a while either. I'm going to go find her" The taller boy nodded and Tsubasa detached himself from the group.

Tsubasa was almost to the door when he ran into Masamune. "Hey, what's up with you?" he asked the sulking boy. The dark haired kid glared at the door for a moment.

"Kyouya stole my date."

Confused, Basa gave what he felt was the obvious answer. "Then steal her back." Masamune considered before nodding and following the blond out. He continued out while Tsubasa waited in the doorway, watching his sister being twirled around by Kyouya. Pulling her back towards him, the scarred boy tugged a little too hard and made her fall against his chest.

"You have a girlfriend" She accused and he let out a bitter laugh.

"Not anymore. We broke up" She raised an eyebrow and gently pushed him away.

"Then I am going to give you the best advice of the night. Go get her back." With those final words, the elegantly dressed girl put her hands on his back and pushed the taller boy towards the door. Once he was safely through the door she gave Tsubasa a small wave and turned to Masamune.

"Sorry about that, but it was Kyouya and he seemed upset." He nodded and held out his hand in request for a dance.

"You know" he said, speaking casually, "I do not have a girlfriend" she smiled and he spun her out and back towards him.

"Oh really?" she asked, mirth swimming in her golden eyes.

"Yep, and considering that I don't have a girlfriend, would you allow me to kiss you?" he asked, leading her through the simple steps.

She took a long moment to process his request, before finally nodding. With a grin of relief, he gently pressed his lips to hers, lifting her off the ground to gain access.

Tsubasa almost stopped them, but when his sister waved him away, not looking up from Masamune's face, he remembered that she was always quiet and considerate when he and Hyoma kissed. Somehow, he couldn't quite justify ruining her moment.

"Crap" he muttered before stalking off to rant to his boyfriend.

When he and Hyoma finally broke off from their group of friends and got home, two figures were lying in the grass outside the house. One was pointing up to the sky, dark hair spread out around her. They watched for a moment, embracing the innocence of it as she traced a constellation in the star and told the boy something or other about how it got its name and the culture it came from.

"Ria" Basa called quietly. "You have work tomorrow. Time to come in" She and Masamune scrambled up and she nodded before he pulled her against his chest. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered his goodbye, ignoring the boys.

Turning her face up more to his, she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. "Goodnight Masamune."

_**Alright, so this wasn't at all what I wanted, but just be glad I changed it as much as I did. When this was first written, Ria kissed Kyouya… yep, I have no idea where that came from, but I decided that it just didn't work.**_

_**I admit it… I'm really ashamed of this chapter. It's only five pages, About 1,120 words including this author's note.**_

_**OK, one last thing! I'm thinking about writing a small story explaining Kyouya's scars and why Tsubasa knows about them. What do you think? Review please!**_


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three days since Mardi gras and a contented peace had settled over the group. Gingka and the Gang's trip had held off for a few days due to Kenta and Yuu getting the flu.

Most of them were enjoying the time off and relaxing. Kenta and Yuu were being miserable together while Madoka watched over them and Gingka spent his time either with her or battling. The only people who weren't having fun were Hikaru and Kyouya.

Since the fight at the Mardi Gras party neither of them seemed to know what to say, resulting in long awkward silences until one of them walked out of the room, which was why Ria had dragged her off with Madoka and Masamune. Once they had left Kyouya plopped down beside Gingka. The red head looked up expectantly, as had Hyoma and Tsubasa from their place in the chair. "You wanna tell us what happened?" Hyoma asked.

"She… wanted to know about my scars."

Confusion drew across Hyoma and Gingka's faces but Tsubasa immediately understood. He pushed himself out of the chair and grabbed the green-haired boy's arm. "We're going for a walk. Let's go Kyouya."

Once on the street the two began walking towards the river, waiting for one of them to speak. "I'm just- "Kyouya took a moment to sort out his thoughts. "I'm not sure I should tell her. I don't want her to have to bear that."

Tsubasa shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You're serious about her, yea?" A short nod was given. "It's not going to last if you keep secrets. Some people can let that go, but Hikaru isn't one of them."

Kyouya opened his mouth but hesitated, turning to look in the window of the stores they passed. "What he did to me...I don't want anyone to know. I don't want to talk about it. It makes me feel like a victim."

"I'd say you're only a victim if you let them control you. That's what they want, right? Now you're letting him stop your relationship. You don't want to be a victim? Don't give him control"

Kyouya nodded and let the words sink in. "Do you think she can handle it? What he did, I mean. Do you think she'll still want to be with me?"

Tsubasa laughed. "Hikaru? You're worried if Hikaru can handle something like this? Kyouya, Hikaru's only reaction is going to be asking for a current address so she can go kick his ass. And no, she isn't going to let this change how she sees you. It'll be fine."

Another nod and then silence fell around them as they watched other people pass by. Tsubasa looked up towards the corner and was met with the sight of someone he thought was long gone. She looked over, caught his eye and froze.

Tsubasa stopped short and sucked in a sharp breath. "Tsubasa," Kyouya asked. He didn't respond. "Tsubasa? You okay?"

The woman was still staring at him and he stared back. She shook and moved to cross the street. She was obviously flustered. Enough so that she didn't look as she crossed and nearly got hit by a car. She didn't look back, and just like that she was gone again. Tsubasa stared at the last spot he'd seen her and tried to control himself as the anger welled up.

"Hey. Is everything alright," Kyouya asked again.

Tsubasa nodded. "I think so." The boy cocked an eyebrow. "I just… I think I just saw my mother."

Kyouya just blinked at him, then grabbed his arm and dragged him back the other way. Apparently he had decided such a situation was beyond his ability and was forging through the crowd in favor of Hyoma and Gingka. Tsubasa actually found it kind of amusing.

At home the boys were discussing the shocking appearance when the front door was slammed open. Masamune rushed through supporting Ria in his arms. The girl was gasping for breath and stared at her brother in a panic.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "she just froze up and started choking!" Tsubasa nodded and took her from the other's arms.

He settled her on the couch and sent Kyouya in to the kitchen for tea. "Alicreia? Calm down, sweetie, you're okay. Do you remember your breathing exercises?" a shaky nod was given and he copied it with more confidence. "Alright, deep breaths. You're okay." He whispered soothing words as she breathed. He wished he knew the exercises. He understood there was a rhythm and was supposed to give the person a form of control but his mother had never explained the patterns to anyone but Ria and the girl had always been embarrassed by the attacks. They sat like that for five minutes before Kyouya came back. By then she was breathing normally. The scarred boy pressed the mug into her palm and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes.

"tell me I was wrong." Tsubasa was shocked and didn't even manage a response. "Tell me I was wrong Basa. It was just a trick of the eye right? Tell me it wasn't her." She was pleading with him, he realized. The thought made his heart break a little. "Not mother."

"You saw her too?"

She shook her head with a fervor that worried him. "No! I won't even consider it! She left and she isn't coming back. We know that." Her brother looked at her with concern and her voice was strained, more forceful. "We know that!" The doorbell rang and the two siblings froze. Everyone was home, and the obvious answer scared them more than they cared to admit. "No" she whispered even as Hyoma answered the door.

He stepped away and in swept a woman who was aged by years of poverty but also stunningly beautiful. Her hair was beginning to grey at the temples and there were crow's feet collecting at her eyes.

Despite the huge age difference there was no doubting the relation. Neither teen shared her green eyes but she had Tsubasa's nose and Alicreia's definitive black hair. The three had a tall, bony build and strong posture. She had Alicreia's thin eyebrows and lips slightly fuller on the bottom like Basa.

The siblings stared and their mother stared back for agonizingly long moments. Finally Alicreia burst. "What are you looking at? Why the hell are you even here, Damn it? You can't just waltz in here after four years! Four years you bitch! Get out of this house!" A heavy pause filled the room, punctuated by the stares at her uncharacteristic outburst. Ria was shaking, but not in panic. The girl was furious. "Fine, if you won't leave I will. I won't stick around to watch you destroy my life again."

She pushed past the woman with a rough brush to her shoulder. Masamune rushed to the door but by the time he reached it she was already long gone. "there's no catching her now." He told them, closing the door before stepping back into the living room. "She's gone like the wind."

"Not to sound repetitive or anything," Tsubasa said with a pause, "But what the hell are you doing here?"

"Language" the woman warned and Tsubasa's eyebrow rose in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"I am still your mother and I will not be spoken to in that manner."

The silence stretched taught as Basa's eyebrow slid even higher. Hyoma's mouth was pulled into a frown and Kyouya's eyes were hidden as his brow furrowed. "Uh no, it doesn't work that way. You left us stranded there. You can't come back and expect us to respect you!" She started to say something before he cut her off. "NO! Fuck you!" he shouted. "Ria's right, you never should have come here! All you do is hurt us! Get out of my house!"

She stared in shock. "I didn't… you-this wasn't" her words came in an incoherent jumble but it didn't matter. Tsubasa wasn't done.

"And by the way Mother _Dearest, _I'm gay! Bent, queer, all those times I talked about girls? Lies, I'm about as straight as a circle!"

If possible her face twisted even more. Shock was replaced with disgust. "You're a fag?"

Several people gasped at the offensive term, Kyouya growled protectively, but Tsubasa didn't even blink. A wicked smile crossed his face as he stepped closer to Hyoma. "Yep! And loving eeeeevery moment of it." His brows wiggled suggestively as she shrank back in horror.

Tsubasa seized the opportunity and ushered her through the door. She drew back from his touch. He slammed the door the moment she was through. He leaned back against it and let his eyes close. His entire body slumped. Tears slid down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Hyoma. I j-just wanted her to leave and I-I knew how she was about gays and I just…" he trailed off with a quiet sob.

"Hyoma?" Kyouya asked as the boy in question pulled his boyfriend to him. "You should be apologizing to _us! _He's your boyfriend; it doesn't matter if you suggest stuff like that in front of him! What about me? I'm scarred for life!"

Hyoma raised an eyebrow. "Was that really necessary?"

"Did you not hear? Scarred for _life._"

"Always with the dramatics" Hikaru muttered.

Tsubasa looked up and glared at the boy. Once he did, Kyouya met his eye and grinned. "Are we done feeling sorry for ourselves now?" he nodded. "Good, because somewhere in this city a teenage girl is walking around broken and alone. Trust me, not a good thing."

Tsubasa nodded and pulled himself together. "I'll go get her. Hopefully she'll have calmed down." Before anything else could be said he strode out the door.

He wandered the streets for a while. Ria didn't give much information about where she went and he didn't ask. She was always home before curfew and they all knew she could take care of herself. But as Kyouya had pointed out, Ria felt broken and alone. She wasn't thinking the way she usually would and people would take advantage of that.

He checked the park first. In his experience the place called to people when they were upset, but no such luck. The ice cream shop was closed by this time. And from there he had to think a little more.

In the end he found her by chance. Walking along the river he looked up and found a lone figure on the bridge. If he had any doubt it was her, the hair erased it. In the semi dark of night it was crow black and fell messily behind her.

"Hey stranger" he called when he reached the edge of the bridge. She looked at him and he cringed. At some point during his absence Ria had perfected the bull's eyes. Hard, angry and colder than steel. "I kicked her out."

The eyes softened in some ways and sharpened in others, analyzing his face. Her frown was deep set and he could see her jaw tighten as she bit her tongue. "Do you think maybe I was quick to speak? Maybe…maybe I should have heard her out."

"Alicreia Nari Otori, I want you to listen to me." She obeyed and locked eyes with him. "After everything she caused in your life, you have no reason to hear her out."

"Yes, but when I start affecting your-"

"Ah, stop. She would have ruined us. Not just you and me, but Hyoma and I as well. Besides, I screwed up once. I won't make the same mistake again. I'm going to do what I think is best for you."

"Do you think we're going to be okay? I mean, will I ever forgive her?"

The blonde looked at her. She was a shadow of her usual self. She was like that right after mother left. Before the woman made her reappearance, there was a spark that lit up the room, an energy that couldn't be compared. It was glimpsed through the tapping of a foot despite an otherwise still body, caught in her eyes when she smiled. That light was gone. It had disappeared once before. Now he wondered if it was permanently erased.

Tsubasa knew his eyes mimicked the grief, anger and hurt in his sister's. It was like looking in a mirror as he answered, "I think… you're asking the wrong person."

She stared at him for a moment before the tears welled. He held his arms open as Alicreia collapsed into him. He didn't know how long they stood there. She just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, four years of pain and worry and tragedy spilling forward.

His feet were starting to fall asleep when the cries completely died down. "You better?" she nodded. "Kay, let's go home."

Another nod. "Give me a piggy back ride?" He chuckled and swung her slim body onto his back.


End file.
